Infallible Word of God

The

Infallible

Word

of

God

Text:

This

morning

I

would

like

us

to

focus

on

one

of

the

first

things

we

believe

in

our

statement

of

beliefs

from

our

fellowship.

I

would

like

to

talk

to

you

about

the

Infallible

Word

of

God.

What is the Bible?

Bible means “book.” But what kind of book is the Bible?

Some think it is a record of religious striving toward encounters

with God an essentially human book. Traditionally, the Christian

church has seen the Bible as more than this, the Bible is viewed

as the written Word of God.

The first words of the book show that God is the leading

character of this divine autobiography: “In the beginning God . .

.”

The pages of the Bible show us God taking the initiative, giving

us information about himself and revealing His purposes for us

His creation. How we view the Bible is crucial because it holds

the key to knowing for certain that God exists.

And how can we know-about him if He does exist? Clearly, our

finite minds cannot penetrate God’s infinity. Job’s friend asked

him,

“Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the

limits of the Almighty?” (). The answers come with a

resounding “yes” through God’s self-revelation, the Bible.

89 Your word, O LORD, is eternal;

it stands firm in the heavens.

90 Your faithfulness continues through all generations;

you established the earth, and it endures.

91 Your laws endure to this day,

for all things serve you.

92 If your law had not been my delight,

I would have perished in my affliction.

93 I will never forget your precepts,

for by them you have preserved my life.

94 Save me, for I am yours;

I have sought out your precepts.

95 The wicked are waiting to destroy me,

but I will ponder your statutes.

96 To all perfection I see a limit;

but your commands are boundless.

The Bible is book is the bestselling book in all of history and has

been translated into more languages than any other book.

In the Bible, His chosen instrument, God unfolds for us His true

character. Through everyday human histories He tells us where

we came from, what our ultimate destiny is and the purpose, of

our lives.

He gives practical instructions, heart-thumping

encouragements, warnings and divine wisdom. All from our

Creator.

Here God’s unrivalled power and integrity are also unveiled.

The people God used to record His words were themselves

uncommonly moved by them. They said the Word of God is

• honey in my mouth ()

• spiritual food for the hungry ()

• dwelling in me richly ()

• a lamp for my feet ()

• a joy and delight to my heart ()

• renewing my mind ()

• a fire that burns in my heart ()

• more precious than gold ()

• sharper than a two-edged sword ()

• a great reward ()

• true and righteous ()

• penetrating my thoughts and attitudes ()

• perfect and trustworthy (Psalm19:7)

1. BREATHED OUT!

How was a book of history covering over two thousand years

written? And how could it have a single theme? Two clear

statements from the New Testament answer this question:

“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture

came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy

never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God

as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

().

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,

rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy

3:16).

When we say the Bible is Inspired what do we mean?

The Bible originated in God’s mind, not in human minds. It was

given to us by inspiration. The Bible is not inspired in the way

we might say the writings of Shakespeare were inspired or the

music of Elvis was inspired. The biblical sense of inspiration

means ‘God so superintended the writers of Scripture that they

wrote what He wanted them to write, disclosing the exact truth

He wanted conveyed.’

The word inspired means “out breathed” (from the mouth of

God). Paul is not ambiguous; the words did not come from the

writers themselves! Inspiration applies to the end result – the

Scripture itself – a faulty script would be useless.

Use Balloon to illustrate God Breathed

A) EVERY WORD IS INSPIRED

Assent to the fact of the inspiration of the Bible can be a

superficial nod of the head or a heartfelt awe over God’s

intentional reaching out to each of us. Three terms help us

understand the truth of inspiration.

Full Inspiration – This is implicit in God’s act of full inspiration is

His disclosure of exactly what we need to know about him no

more, no less. He communicated His basic plans and promises

for all of His creation.

Verbal inspiration - indicates that inspiration extends to the

words of the Bible themselves, not only to the ideas. God did

not dictate the Scripture mechanically but guided and

superintended the writers within the framework of their own

personalities and backgrounds.

A Christian who has such a high view of inspiration examines

prayerfully the meaning of each word and remains sincerely

interested in using modern tools of textual study to understand

the original meaning.

B) How writers were inspired

Method Events

God described directly to the writer The creation of the universe

and human race ()

Writers actually witnessed The resurrection and Jesus Miracles

()

Copied from other texts handed down from eyewitnesses The

creation of Luke’s gospel ()

God spoke directly to the prophets “This is what the LORD

says” ()

However the words came to be recorded, all Scripture is viewed

by the writers themselves as words from God, not from their

own minds. The apostle Paul speaks of Scripture as “the very

words of God” (),

Jesus himself quoted the Old Testament as the counsel of God

given through the writers. The early believers prayed in Acts,

“Sovereign Lord . . . you spoke by the Holy Spirit through the

mouth of your servant, our father David”; they then quoted

().

2. HOLY SPIRIT ILLUMINATION

Scripture becomes meaningful to us when our hearts are open

and illumined by the Holy Spirit. Jesus asked Peter the question,

“Who do you say I am?” and Peter’s immediate response was,

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus then said,

“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed

to you by man, but by my Father in heaven” ().

Again when Jesus met two disciples on the road to Emmaus

following His resurrection, He “explained to them what was said

in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” As He sat with them,

“their eyes were opened and they recognised him” (Luke

24:27,31).

“Then He opened their minds so they could understand the

Scriptures” ().

He also explicitly told His disciples, “When He, the Spirit of

truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth” ().

God reveals by the Spirit what He has prepared for those who

love him ().

The Bible does not become the Word of God; it is already

the Word of God.

What do a television set and the Word of God have in common?

A television, sitting in the corner switched off is still a television

set. It won’t display any pictures or play any sound until it is

switched on, but it is still a television. It does not become a

television when it is switched on.

What the Holy Spirit illumines is the Word of God, whether or

not anybody responds to it. We have the choice. We can open

our minds and hearts to the Holy Spirit, allowing the Scripture to

become personal in our lives.

3. NECESSARY FOOD

“Never study the Bible for purely academic purposes”

Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones.

Beyond the sacred pages of the Bible, we connect personally to

God. Academic understanding does help illumine our thoughts,

but then we must turn to speak to the Author, react to His

words, probe His will for our lives.

By contrast, the Old Testament’s Job, a man in horrendous loss

and suffering, gives us a glimpse of how to approach God’s

Word. In the midst of his suffering, he said in his talk with God:

“I have treasured the words of [your] mouth more than my

necessary food” ( NKJV). Just as food gets to the

muscles and bloodstream, the words from God can make you

feel whole, satisfied, loved, connected – deep inside!

Our faith is rooted in the Bible, but we do not worship it, we

trust it.

Every new idea and even our emotional experiences are to be

tested by its teaching. Are my opinions, my worldview, and my

actions congruent with God’s revelation?

Anticipate joy and exhilaration as you respond to God’s words.

Blaise Pascal, the French scientist, sought diligently to know

God, and the fruit of his search is expressed in very moving

words. Some were written on paper and sewn inside his coat

and discovered after he died. One of them was:

O righteous Father, the world hath not known Thee, but I have

known Thee. Joy. Joy. Joy. Tears of joy.

The Bible, the written Word of God, the Basis of our belief.

“Your Word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.”

Conclusion: For personal reflection

1. How would you respond to the statement the Bible is not

scientifically accurate?

2. Explain the statement: We do not prove the Bible by

archaeology.

3. How can you feed on the Word of God?

Why do we need the Bible, in today’s society?

Today our need for the Bible, God’s Word, is more important

than ever. Our world is full of ideas that are in some cases well

intentioned, but challenge the time-honoured concepts of the

God of the Bible.

Ideas such as “All religions lead to Heaven” and “There are

many ways” come from every side. Relativism has taken over,

denying the possibility of one truth source; post modernism has

arrived, bringing its classic morality; secularism joins in exalting

existential experience.

GOD UNMASKED

By contrast, God the Creator has revealed himself unmasked

himself, as we would to a friend, He has done this in several

ways.

Nature and the entire cosmos blare the message of a powerful

Designer.

Our natural world, from the most minute atom, to the

complexities of molecular DNA and RNA, to the innumerable

galaxies all shout the Designer’s intelligence.

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities His

eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being

understood from what has been made” ().

“The heavens declare the glory of God. . . . There is no speech

or language where their voice is not heard” (,).

Through history God has revealed himself, particularly in His

dealings with Israel and the nations surrounding it. Such Old

Testament expressions as “Then Manasseh knew that the

LORD is God” () reflect recognition of God

because of His activity in the affairs of individuals and nations.

pictures God’s persistent reaching out to Israel:

“Surely they are my people, sons who will not be false to me”;

and so He became their Saviour. In all their distress He too was

distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his

love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and

carried them all the days of old.

The words of the prophets were also instruments of God’s

revelation as they interpreted their circumstances and God’s

will. “The word of the LORD came to me” and “This is what the

LORD says” are recurring phrases throughout the Old

Testament (; ; ; ; ;

Samuel 2:27), called propositional revelation.

GOD’S SPECIAL REVELATION

Jesus Christ was God’s fullest and clearest revelation, He was

God incarnate. “The image of the invisible God,” “The Word

became flesh,” and “We beheld His glory” are a few

descriptions of Jesus Christ. The writers in Hebrews and Acts

explained it this way: “In the past God spoke to our forefathers

through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in

these last days He has spoken to us by His Son” (-

2).

“All the prophets testify about him [Jesus] that everyone who

believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through His name”

()

God

gave

us

the

Bible

–

His

infallible

Word

to

use

to

model

our

lives

by

and

to

commune

with

Him.

Let

us

not

take

this

for

granted

and

use

this

gift

every

day.